February 13, 2013 - A great turn.

The comic darkly turns around again.

Bloodshot 8 Regular Cover

It took me two reads on Bloodshot 7 to appreciate it. Not the case on this comic. It was easy to appreciate right from the first read. Dark, connected comic. The last issue seems very appropriately placed now - and connecting forward to the upcoming Harbinger Wars, too. I'm still not certain if Bloodshot will end up ripping these kids apart, or allying with them. Great background story, too. Especially loved the other victim - hard lined into the system and warning of Bloodshot's possible wrath. Gamma was a wonderful change in set, too. Not certain exactly what her power might be, but she certainly has tough skin. Apologies. That shouldn't have been written, but... Great to see Chainsaw really bite it, too. He's definitely a strange character - and quickly eliminated - but connects back to the Acclaim system.

Thank goodness.

I was starting to think that the entire run of this book was going to be a swirl of insanity. This one finally starts to really revel in who Justice is - downplaying the whole turquoise laser man - and bringing out a darker hero. He seems a lot like the Punisher, of course. That guy is the archetype of the villain. This comic sheds much of that insanity from the first few issues. Well. It gives the comic a broader life that hadn't been seen before this. Before it was unfeeling - but in a bright placement seemed awkward. This shift - of the loner without a past - is a good one. This comic I could continue to read for a year. The dialogue is at a minimum - with narration. Plus, the panels tell the story through movement of perspective - not with motion. It feels like Tensen is lying in wait for the man. I also liked the way they eliminated the 'laser hand' by shooting him in the shoulder and having him suffer. More realism, again!